by Jeeni Criscenzo
In the process of editing blogs for a book on the birth of the Progressive Movement, I’ve come to the sobering realization that all the marches, demonstrations, forums and protests I’ve written about in the past five years have failed to change anything of consequence. It’s as if no one ever warned, “If you attack Iraq, it will be a catastrophe.” It’s as if no one ever marched a million-strong, year after year, against the ongoing funding of the occupation of Iraq; as if no one ever contacted their congressperson or senator to voice their opposition to warrant-less wiretapping, torture, rendition or off-shore drilling; as if no one ever wrote against imprisoning Sami al Arian, denying habeas corpus to the Gtimo prisoners, or the shredding of our Constitution. It’s as if scientists never proved humans are causing global warming and no one ever called for universal, single-payer healthcare. And most upsetting of all, it’s as if all the Democratic candidates we worked so hard to get elected in Congress, have no idea why they were elected.
Even on a local level, I see the same issues I worked against when I was campaigning three years ago, still being fought – the Sunrise Powerlink, the LEAPS project, the Robertson’s Concrete Plant, the granite quarry in Temecula. I’m sure you have similar issues wherever you live, and have run up against the same brick wall...
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